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How to Maximize Travel With a Full-time Job

June 25, 2019

Do you have a passion for traveling but find yourself limited by a full-time job? Are dreams of tropical jungles and sun-soaked beaches making you swoon? Well, you’re not alone. It can be difficult to travel while holding down a demanding career. But it is possible to travel with a full-time job!

This post is a collaborative partnership post.

Travel with a Full-Time Job

While you toil away to string together enough holidays to treat yourself, many cash-poor yet time-rich youngsters are out there swooping down on sweet travel deals that you with your busy schedule just can’t seem to find. Busy professionals don’t often have as much time and freedom as they’d like – but there are ways you can enjoy adventures around the world while not giving up on a steady income.

Travel and work life don’t have to be mutually exclusive. In fact, today’s employees are more travel-oriented than ever, with nearly 39% of them unwilling to settle for a job that restricts travel. So if you’re an avid travel lover with a career to juggle, here’s how you can travel with a full-time job without losing your workplace sanity.

be smart with paid vacation days

Working a job with long hours can be challenging, and knowing how to use paid vacations wisely can make all the difference. Make your annual leave stretch a bit more by combining your paid time with public holidays.

A simple measure like booking a couple of days before or after a bank holiday will give you more holiday time at no real cost. This allows you to save your paid vacation days by using only one or two of them at a time, giving you an extra helping of adventure for double the time. Just be sure to book your dates way before vacation fever overwhelms the rest of your colleagues and you’ll be good to go.

go on a weekend vacation

One thing’s for sure – you’re eventually going to run out of paid vacation days. But don’t give in to the gloom. Weekend travel can be a great way to blow off some steam and explore the world a little bit at a time. Consider using the weekend for a two-day mini vacation at a destination that’s just a few hours away from home. What a great way to travel with a full-time job!

A short break in a nearby city could be just the ticket to experience something beautiful and recharge your batteries while you’re at it. If you’re in the states, head to the next state’s capital or explore your own. Many downtown areas are revitalizing, so stay in a quaint place and check out the local scene. In Europe? How about a romantic stroll in the heart of Paris, the streets of Rome or the coast of Portugal? Several locations are just a short flight or drive away from home, and can easily be fit into two days of fun and relaxation.

extend business trips

Business travels can get pretty hectic. After a while it’s a blur of airport travels, checking into hotels and staying on your feet all day at long work conferences. These trips are demanding but aren’t always interesting, making you long for a soothing holiday just so you can de-stress from all things work related.

Experts recommend you do this by taking a day or two to yourself after the conferences are over. This way you get to save cash on flights while treating yourself to a little fun and luxury. Since these trips happen on weekdays, these business excursions are the ideal opportunity to extend into the weekend and score some coveted vacation time for yourself.

These are great tips. I often took total advantage of “business trips” when I worked in the corporate world. You would be surprised how often the company’s booking agents don’t mind extending your flight home as long as the price is less than or equal to what it would have been to your original exit date. Also, if your company lets you, I strongly recommend collecting all the airline miles and hotel miles as well as any corporate card points. My old pharma company allowed us to keep the amex points as long as we paid for the membership out of our own pocket. This was amazing as I was often able to rack up enough points in a year for free flights, free hotels, and even one time I was able to get free tickets to Wicked on Broadway in NYC!ReplyCancel

travellikeaprinceJuly 7, 2019 - 12:20 pm

That is so nice that your job allowed you to do that!! I need to get a better credit card for points ASAP! <3ReplyCancel

ElizabethJuly 2, 2019 - 6:38 pm

I can imagine that it would be really hard to travel with a full-time job. Definitely a good idea to be smart with vacation days. I know the US many people don’t even use all their days! ReplyCancel

SaraJuly 2, 2019 - 9:15 pm

These are great ideas for someone who works full time. I have used most of these tactics, but never actually had “business” travel to extend. I would love to have that one day!ReplyCancel

DanielJuly 4, 2019 - 2:08 am

I’ve been doing both for almost two years now and I can relate to this article. I would agree with all of the things you mentioned. Overall, I think this is a great read for everyone that want to blog while keeping a full-time job. ReplyCancel

Iuliana MarchianJuly 4, 2019 - 2:59 am

This is such a great post and I remember when I was doing the same thing with my job. I visited all my country on weekends and other small countries on short vacations. How do you recover after coming back from a trip each weekend? ReplyCancel

travellikeaprinceJuly 7, 2019 - 12:19 pm

It’s truly hard! But travel writing is full time for me, so that is a bit of how I make it work. And it’s a lot during the week, too. <3ReplyCancel